Pikes Peak Summit Complex Newsletter 
April 2021
Pikes Peak - America's Mountain 
launches video series focused on sustainability
Multipart series explores sustainable aspects of 
new Pikes Peak Summit Complex
Road to Sustainability
WATCH: Our Road to Sustainability - Introduction

On Earth Day, April 22, 2021, Pikes Peak - America's Mountain (PPAM) launched a multipart video series called, "Our Road to Sustainability," focused on the sustainable aspects of the new Pikes Peak Summit Complex. The new visitor center at the summit of Pikes Peak, anticipated to open this Memorial Day weekend, was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement. It also strives to achieve the Living Building Challengessm (LBC), which is a two-year certification process for highly sustainable, zero-energy buildings. Currently, no other buildings in the state of Colorado are fully LBC certified.
 
" Pikes Peak is a National Historic Landmark, and as stewards of the summit's built environment, it's critically important for us to think about how the new Summit Complex will affect the environment not only today, but 50 years from now," said Jack Glavan, Pikes Peak - America's Mountain (PPAM) manager. "Every aspect of the new building has been carefully and thoroughly reviewed with sustainability at the forefront of the entire project."
 
Throughout the eight-part video series, viewers will learn about the seven performance areas, or petals, of LBC and how the Summit Complex incorporates these elements into its design and operation. The petals, which represent the efficiency of a flower - the symbol of an ideal built environment - stand for place, water, energy, health and happiness, materials, equity and beauty. LBC is operated by the International Living Future Institute, a global nonprofit organization.
Illustration provided by GWWO Architects and RTA Architects

To meet the challenge, the Summit Complex must be regenerative in nature. This means it must be self-sufficient and remain within the resource limits of its site; connect occupants to light, air, nature, community and food; and create a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with it.
 
The first video, an introduction to the educational series, is now available to view on the Pikes Peak YouTube channel. The rest of the series will be gradually released on YouTube and run until the  grand opening of the Summit Visitor Center. The series includes commentary from USDA Forest Service representatives; PPAM project managers; architects from RTA Architects of Colorado Springs, who partnered with GWWO Architects on the building's design; the local project contractor GE Johnson, the local project contractor; Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers; and other stakeholders.
Old Summit House demolition now underway
Demolition of the 1960s-era Summit House began April 6. The building, which has served summit visitors since April 28, 1964, will be completely removed ahead of the opening of the new Pikes Peak Summit Complex next month. The decorative plaque that was previously located in the former overlook area honoring Katharine Lee Bates' poem "America the Beautiful," which was inspired by her journey to the summit in 1893, has been kept and will be placed on the new eastern overlook.

As a reminder, the summit of Pikes Peak is closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic until May 23, 2021.
The closure is for the safety of all visitors and workers as the Summit Complex enters its final phase of construction. During this time, heavy equipment will be moving boulders throughout the site in preparation for final grading and paving.  

More information about the new Summit Complex is available at ColoradoSprings.gov/SummitComplex
CLICK HERE to view demolition
Colorado Distillers, Builders and Restaurateurs 
Get Water Savvy this Earth Day

Water Education Colorado - Freshwater News

Beginning in 1970, Americans and later citizens across the globe have celebrated Earth Day on April 22. It's a day dedicated annually to civic action, volunteerism and other activities to support and promote environmental protection and green living.

This year, Fresh Water News used Earth Day as an opportunity to highlight a handful of Colorado projects and businesses that are moving the needle on water conservation and sustainability. CLICK HERE to read their stories.

Sustainability at 14,000 feet

The infrastructure atop the iconic 14,115-foot Pikes Peak is getting a refresh - and one that's particularly friendly to water.

Construction crews are finishing up work on the new Pikes Peak Summit Complex, which includes a visitor center, a high-altitude research laboratory, and a municipal utility facility.
Visitors to the summit number upwards of 750,000 annually, and the previous facilities that welcomed them at the top were deteriorating. Replacing them created an opportunity to do things differently. The 38,000-square-foot complex, which is set to open around Memorial Day, aims to be net-zero for energy, waste and water consumption; it also hopes to become the first Living Building Challenge-certified project in Colorado, a rigorous green building standard created by the International Living Future Institute.

The project, which is expected to cost approximately $65 million when complete, incorporates a number of water-saving and conservation features, including a pioneering on-site wastewater treatment plant, a vacuum toilet system, low-flow fixtures, and a rainwater harvest system for potential future use.

Even with increased visitor numbers, the new complex is expected to use 40 to 50 percent less water than the 1960s-era Summit House it will replace. That water has to be hauled up the mountain, a 40-mile round trip.

In 2018, crews hauled 600,000 gallons of fresh water to the summit, according to Jack Glavan, manager of Pikes Peak - America's Mountain, a self-supporting enterprise of the City of Colorado Springs. (Colorado Springs operates the Pikes Peak Recreation Corridor, which includes the Pikes Peak Highway and related facilities, through a special use permit granted by the U.S. Forest Service, which owns the land.) The new facility should cut that down to between 300,000 and 350,000 gallons a year, Glavan said.

"In the past, we used roughly a gallon to 1.2 gallons per person, and with this water system, we're figuring we're going to cut that down to 0.4 to 0.5 gallons per person," said Glavan.
Similarly, the water-savvy upgrades will allow the facility to halve the amount of wastewater it hauls down to the Las Vegas Street Wastewater Treatment Plant, which requires an 80-mile round trip.

On top of the water efficiencies, the upgrades will also reduce vehicle trips and associated emissions. Freshwater trips are expected to drop from 127 to 72 per year, and wastewater trips from 174 to 69.

The building also aims to be one of the first in Colorado to reuse water that's been treated on-site. But for final approval from the state, complex managers must first prove that the wastewater system works, a process that will likely involve about a year of sampling, Glavan said. Assuming all goes according to plan, the facility will use reclaimed water for toilets and urinals.

All told, the facility's leaders hope that these and many other sustainable design features - undertaken as part of the highest-altitude construction project in the United States, on top of the mountain that inspired the lyrics of "America the Beautiful" - encourage others to reduce their impact on the environment in whatever way possible.
"We're proud to be doing it," Glavan said. "It does cost a little bit more incrementally but we are America's mountain and we're hoping we're setting an example for everyone. If we can do it up here at 14,000 feet, people should be able to do it at lower altitudes."
America's Highest Railway Just Got a $100 Million Makeover - and It's Finally Reopening to the Public
The scenic Colorado train will resume taking visitors to and from Pikes Peak beginning in May.

Travel+Leisure
By Cailey Rizzo | April 6, 2021 
The scenic Colorado train will resume taking visitors to and from Pikes Peak beginning in May following a $100 million renovation that includes new trains, new track, new depot and a new visitor center.

Tickets on Sales Now - Reserve your Spot

Tourists and Coloradans have waited several years to resume riding The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway, but the wait is coming to an end. Mountain and train lovers alike can start buying tickets at cograilway.com.

Rides up the 9-mile track are expected to begin in May at a standard price of $58 or $48 for children 12 and under. The journey takes three hours round trip and stops at the new $65 million Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center.

Be part of Pikes Peak forever. Give your family and friends something priceless - their name on America's Mountain - when you support the new Pikes Peak Summit Complex.

How Your Gift Helps
The new Summit Visitor Center is anticipated to open this Memorial Day weekend (weather dependent). Generous donors have already contributed more than $12.7 million, bringing us over 83% of our $15 million fundraising campaign goal. Several opportunities remain to leave your own lasting legacy through sponsorships at  the new Pikes Peak Summit Complex. For more information, send an email to:  Campaign.dl@coloradosprings.gov
 
Your gift will be used to help the Summit Complex reach "Living Building Challenge" certification, the world's most progressive environmental performance standard. Living Buildings safeguard the environment, preserve the surrounding habitat, and contribute to human health.
 
PIKES PEAK SUMMIT VISITOR CENTER ANTICIPATED TO OPEN IN JUNE -- WHAT TO EXPECT

The new Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center is anticipated to open in June, pending weather and final construction activity. The new building, which replaces the 1964 Summit House, has been under construction since June 2018. When complete, it will be the most sustainable high-altitude structure in the country, if not the world.
 
"The new Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center is a destination that anyone who has ever endeavored to journey to 14,000 feet can take pride in," said Mayor John Suthers. "Building at this altitude is an incredible undertaking, and I am especially proud of the foresight and care taken to build such an impressive, yet efficient structure that blends into its natural environment. We look forward with great anticipation to opening day and providing visitors from all corners of the world and of all ages and abilities a breathtaking new experience at the top of America's Mountain."
 
OPENING / COMPLETION SCHEDULE

Summit Visitor Center will open in phases: Early visitors can expect to see final construction work taking place and finishing touches being made to the interpretive exhibits. Fresh donuts and brand-new menu options will be available.

Summit of Pikes Peak: closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic until May 23, 2021.

Public opening of the new Summit Visitor Center is anticipated for June.

Official Ceremony (event attendance restricted due to pandemic guidelines): Local, state and USDA Forest Service leaders are expected to gather June 30 for a co-hosted ribbon cutting event for the Summit Visitor Center that will also recognize the grand reopening and 130th anniversary of The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway.

June 30: Pikes Peak Highway gateway will not open to the public until noon following the official ceremony.

Exterior site work: Expected to last through the summer with a target completion of September 3.
2021 LOOK AHEAD FROM GE JOHNSON

April Look-Ahead

The following have been completed or are expected to be completed in April: 
  • Final mechanical, electrical, and plumping (MEP) connections and startup
  • Kitchen equipment and startup
  • South main lobby stone, metal panel, and glazing finish
  • Site parking lot and swale excavation
  • Exhibit installation has began
  • Vestibule and main lobby wood ceiling installation
  • Exterior metal panel installation
  • Retail and lobby tile
  • Final building inspections anticipated the end of April
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